'Mardaani 2' draws legal notice demanding change in city name
Protests against the upcoming Rani Mukerji-starrer Mardaani 2 continues in Kota, with local corporator Gopal Manda sending legal notice to the CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi, the film’s producer Aditya Chopra, director Gopi Puthran, and the information and broadcasting ministry, appealing to them to remove the name of the city from the film.
The notice demands to change the name of Kota in the film, with the claim that it maligns the name of the city. Unless the name of the city is removed, screenings will be blocked and the matter will be taken to High Court, the notice warns, according to lawyer Ashwin Garg.
The controversy erupted after the trailer of the film was released online. The trailer, which shows a serial rapist and murderer in Kota, who targets young girls in the city, declares that the film is inspired by true events. Rani Mukerji returns as the fearless cop Shivani Shivaji Roy, who is determined to catch the serial rapist within two days.
The objection has primarily been raised because Mardaani 2 is about a psycho-killer who never existed in Kota and yet trailer claims the film is inspired by true events. Over three decades, Kota has been identified as an educational city, and connecting the city to crime is unwanted for, the notice claims.